Bad Boy
by WildCat327
Summary: Reese has always been something of a bad boy, but he finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he starts hanging around with a new crowd. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Bad Boy**

Rating: T / PG-13 (Language and Mature Situations)

Disclaimer: All Characters from "Malcolm in the Middle" are owned by the Fox and Linwood Boomer, the show's creator.

Summary: Reese has always been something of a bad boy, but he finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he begins hanging around with a new crowd.

Author's Note: This takes place in season six. The first two chapters are loosely based on Malcolm's and Reese's storyline in the episode "Chad's Sleepover," where they find out how unpopular they are.

Chapter 1

Reese opened his eyes with a splitting headache to the intolerable sound of the alarm bright and early on Monday morning. He had barely slept the night before with only a few periods of fitful dozing now and then. He had been dreading this morning all weekend. Rolling over with a sigh, he slapped the buttons on the top of the alarm to activate the snooze feature. Maybe five more minutes would help him feel better.

Unfortunately, five more minutes wouldn't be possible because Malcolm and Dewey were climbing out of bed before he turned off the alarm. Reese rolled onto his side with his back to them, praying that maybe they would leave him alone for once. No such luck.

"Reese, what the hell is your problem? You better get up or mom's going to kill you. You know how she is when we're late for breakfast." Malcolm said. He was right. Their mother, Lois, ran the house with an iron fist. She didn't tolerate even the slightest violation of her rules. Something as minute as being a few minutes late for breakfast would still lead to being grounded. She never broke or bended under any circumstances—for that would be a sign of weakness. If Lois showed the smallest hint of weakness, chaos would surely break out in their household. The brothers despised how she ruled over their every move, but deep down they knew that she did it for their own protection. They weren't exactly poster boys for good behavior. "Reese, I'm serious. If you piss her off first thing, she'll have it out for _all_ of us for the rest of the day" Malcolm continued.

Reese groaned and sat up in his bed. He'd only been awake for five minutes and Malcolm was already on his nerves. He loved his brother (although he would never admit as much in a million years), but he also loathed that Malcolm would always be their parents' golden child due to the achievements he earned thanks to his genius-level IQ. He had been taking advanced classes in school since he was 10 years old. Without realizing how hurtful it was to their other sons, their parents often referred to Malcolm as "this family's only chance at making it." Malcolm got into his fair share of trouble too, often being the mastermind behind many of their schemes, but his punishments never seemed quite as bad as Reese's.

Reese knew that he was their parents' least favorite son. The only thing that he had going for him was his impeccable talent for cooking, but he rarely got to do it because he was grounded so often. Though he had stopped being a school bully after his first year in high school, he still didn't have any real friends because he found it difficult to talk to people unless he was insulting them. He acted tough mainly to hide the fact that he was very sensitive and secretly feared rejection. Rather than suffer ridicule and torment from his classmates, he channeled his emotions into anger and solved his problems with his fists when the need arose. Sitting on the side of his bed, Reese placed his head in his hands and rubbed his aching temples because he knew today would be no different. He knew the incident that happened Friday night would probably land him in at least one fight before the end of the day, which would lead to suspension from school and worse—his mother's wrath. If he could only be more like his brothers, the humiliation that he was about to face at school might not bother him so much. He would be able shrug off their insults and keep his anger in check.

Reese's oldest brother, Francis, was a serious trouble maker throughout his childhood, but his years in military school had turned his life around. Even though he dropped out before he graduated, his knack for cleverness and determination had helped him become a respectable married man with an honest job. Dewey, the second youngest, was never much of a problem child. Although he shared his brothers' passion for mischief, he was good at playing the "cute and innocent little kid" card, which often granted him mercy when he got in trouble. In addition, Dewey was nearly as smart as Malcolm and had a natural gift for music—making him the second most likely to succeed in the family.

Reese's only chance at redemption from the "least favorite" role lied in the youngest of the five brothers, Jamie, who was still a baby. No one knew how he would ultimately turn out, but at the tender age of one he had had already attempted to kill their mother by pushing a cabinet on her.

"Are you feeling okay Reese?" Dewey asked as he pulled on his jeans, jarring Reese from his thoughts.

"What's it to you?" Reese shot back, immediately shifting into his normal defensive approach. "I can still beat the crap out of you, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, I wasn't really worried about it. But since you brought it up, I'm sure mom wouldn't be too happy if she knew that you and Malcolm snuck out Friday night to go to a party." Dewey responded as he pulled on his jeans.

"It wasn't a party. Just shut-up about Friday night, I don't want to talk about it." Reese said.

"Awww…what's the matter, Reese? Did some hot girl laugh at you when you asked her to dance?" Dewey taunted. He knew he had the upper hand because Reese and Malcolm would be grounded for weeks if their mother found out about them leaving the house without her permission.

"I said shut up Dewey! You won't be able to tell mom anything when your jaw is wired together!" Reese shouted, rising from the bed. He felt his hands instinctively curl into fists as he loomed over his younger brother.

"What's going on?" Malcolm asked, coming out of the bathroom. He could feel that things were about to get ugly. Reese was already going to be late for breakfast and he didn't need extra punishment for beating up Dewey to top it off.

"Dewey said he's going to tell mom that we snuck out Friday night." Reese told Malcolm.

"Hey! Leave me out of this Dewey! Whatever problem you have with Reese right now doesn't involve me. If you tell her then I'll be grounded too!" Malcolm could feel his anger rising to match that of his brother's. He hated when Dewey used blackmail to get them under his thumb. The kid was smart, no doubt about it.

"Would everybody just SHUT UP? I just want to forget that Friday night ever happened!" Reese tried to sound tough, but anguish in his voice was very obvious. He had spent the entire weekend silently brooding over the incident and it was catching up with him. "Just leave me alone!" his voice cracked as if he might cry. An awkward silence washed over the three of them. It was a rare occasion when Reese showed that he actually had real feelings. Even Dewey knew that it was time to keep his mouth shut. "What are you all staring at?" Reese asked hatefully, overcoming his urge to cry. He plopped down on his bed, angry with himself for almost letting his emotions slip in front of his brothers.

"It's really bothering you isn't it?" Malcolm asked with genuine concern.

"What? Oh, you mean the fact that everyone in the whole school hates us and thinks we're losers? Or could it be the fact that they're all going to be laughing at us when we get there because we crashed their stupid party and made complete fools of ourselves?" Reese spat sarcastically.

"What's the big deal? So everyone hates us. They always have. It's not like it's something new, Reese." Malcolm reasoned.

"I know, but I guess they've never actually told us to our faces that we're losers and they hate us before. I thought at least a few people liked us…well, me anyway. It's just…different now. We're the laughing stock of the entire school! Don't you see that? How could it not bother you?"

"Don't let them bug you Reese. They just don't like us because we're unique, that's all. We're different from other families." Dewey spoke up in an effort to help the situation.

"Yeah, we're all rejects! That's why we're different. At least you two have something going for yourselves. You both can say that everyone's just jealous of you cause you're smart. What's my excuse?"

"Oh, _come on_ Reese! Why is this bugging you so much? Since when have you _ever _cared about what other people think? You usually just beat the crap out of them and move on. What's your deal?" Malcolm asked.

"I don't know! I told you that it's different now! You're so damn smart, why don't you tell me what's wrong? Maybe you could use me for another one of your little psychology projects and make me look like an even bigger loser than I already do!"

"Ok, I made a mistake! Besides, that was last year. I though we were past that."

"Well, we're NOT! Just get the hell out of my face! Both of you!" Reese shouted.

"What is going on in here?" Lois appeared in the doorway. "What's wrong with you boys? You've only been up for a few minutes and you're already at each others throats! I can hear you screaming all the way in the kitchen! Your breakfast has been on the table getting cold for ten minutes. I get up early every morning to make sure that you get a decent meal before school and none of you even appreciates it. My God, Reese! You're not even dressed! That's it. Forget about breakfast because you don't have time. You're all grounded this afternoon so you better be back in this house at 3:30 on the dot. You have five minutes to finish getting ready and get out the door. Now move it!"

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Way to go Reese." He gathered his books and walked out of the room.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Reese." Dewey added, turning to follow Malcolm.

"Why is it my fault? Dewey started it! Why is everything ALWAYS MY fault?" Reese screamed as he put on his clothes. He grabbed his backpack and stormed through the house, slamming the front door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Reese sat alone in the courtyard during lunch listening to his MP3 player. He didn't bother buying anything to eat because he had no appetite. He cast his eyes toward the ground while the music blared in his ears. That way he wouldn't have to see or hear everyone talking about him behind his back. Two years ago he would have pulverized the first person who dared to glance his way, but he didn't have much his old spirit left anymore. He had mostly grown out of his childish activities like playing cruel jokes and tormenting his peers by pushing them around for no reason. Unfortunately, everyone still saw him as the mean-spirited bully that he used to be.

By now, the word on what happened to he and Malcolm had spread through the entire school. Upset for being left out of the school's "ditch day," they had decided to get revenge by scaring the popular kids at a party. All they ended up doing was making things worse for themselves though. First they were laughed at for being so immature, and then they were humiliated with a long list of reasons why they were never included in anything before finally being kicked out of the party. After reflecting on it for awhile, Reese realized that it _was_ a really stupid idea. To make things worse, the true facts of what had happened—as shameful as they were to begin with—had likely been distorted to become even more mortifying as the story circulated around school. The reasons why no one liked them shouldn't have been news to Reese, but he had never really given it much thought before. Now that he knew the undeniable truth, it hurt.

He briefly looked up only to see a group of cheerleaders glance toward him then burst into laughter. He looked around for Malcolm who was nowhere in sight. He had likely cowered in the library to do homework, leaving Reese to face the humiliation alone. As his eyes roamed over the courtyard the scene was no different. Everyone seemed to be laughing at him. At first he thought it was just his imagination, but quickly dismissed the idea when he saw the former Krelboyne geeks—who were _supposed_ to be Malcolm's friends—look his way and snicker.

Reese rolled his eyes and got up to leave. He couldn't take it any longer so he decided that he would head to his next class early, figuring that anywhere would be better than staying in the courtyard much longer. He turned and shoved his MP3 player into his backpack, then suddenly had a feeling that someone was standing behind him. Prepared to fight, he dropped the backpack on the ground and spun around with fists clenched at his sides. A sense of relief washed over him when he realized that it was just a girl and not someone ready to tear his head off.

"Reese Wilkerson, right?" the girl asked. With long red hair, green eyes and delicate features, she was very pretty. Reese recognized her from around campus, but they had never spoken.

"Yeah. Why? Are you here to tell me what a loser I am too? Just save it." Reese picked up his backpack, preparing to walk off.

"No. You just looked like you could use some company so I thought I'd come say hi. I'm Jade."

"Well then, hi Jade! I'm Reese!" Reese mocked and flashed a condescending smile. "Look, I don't need your pity so take it somewhere else and leave me alone." He turned and started to walk away.

"_That's _why no one likes you." Jade said.

"Huh?" Reese turned to face her again. Her words had struck his sore spot. "What did I do?"

"That's why no one likes you." She repeated. You're a jerk and you don't even know it! I just thought you might like someone to talk to since the whole school is laughing at you right now and all you do is act like an ass and blow me off. I can see why everyone hates you!"

"Sorry if I don't like people who only talk to me because they feel sorry for me. I'm not _that_ pathetic and desperate yet." Reese said bluntly.

"I didn't come over here because I feel sorry for you. I've seen you around and thought it would be a good chance to introduce myself. That's all. I know how it is to have everyone treat you like an outsider, trust me. But if you want to sit around and sulk by yourself, then _fine_. Sorry I wasted your precious time!"

"Fine, I _will_!" Reese shouted as he watched her walk away, thinking about what she'd said. "Wait…come back!" he called, finally realizing that he had treated her like crap for no reason. When she didn't stop he broke into a jog and caught up with her. He matched her stride when she ignored him and kept walking. "Look, you're right. I'm sorry. I was a jerk….I'm _always_ a jerk. I guess that's what's wrong with me. I say really stupid stuff without even thinking. I'm really sorry. Can we please just start over?" he babbled.

Jade finally stopped walking and smiled at him. "Ok, but the bell is about to ring now. Do you want to hang out with us after school?"

"Who is 'us'?" Reese asked.

"Just some of my friends. They're cool."

Reese could hear his mother's voice ringing in his ears. 'You better be in this house at 3:30 on the dot', she'd said. But she didn't get off of work until 5:00 so he would have over an hour to get home before she did—unless Dewey and Malcolm ratted him out. 'I have to take the chance' he thought to himself. 'I'll just have to do some serious butt-kissing and beg them not to tell. I can't blow this' "Uh…sure." he said to Jade.

"Great! I'll wait for you in the student parking lot."

"Ok, see you—" Reese was cut off by a voice behind him.

"Awww look, the little loser has him a loser girlfriend! Maybe you can go crash some parties that you weren't invited to together." The voice was followed by a round of cruel laughter. Reese turned to see Brandon Adams, one of the most popular guys in school. He and the group of his friends behind him had been at the party Friday night.

Reese was an expert fighter, but even he knew his limits. There was no way that he could take on all of them at once, but he couldn't just walk away in defeat in front of everyone. That would be even worse than getting his butt kicked. "I'll show you a loser!" Reese shouted, though he didn't move toward them.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on then!" Brandon retorted.

"You first." Reese raised his fists, ready for the attack. He hoped that by showing no fear they would back off and he wouldn't have to fight. That way he could still hold on to the small amount of dignity that he had left. Of course, things never went the way he planned.

"Fine, punk. You asked for it!" Brandon yelled and charged toward Reese. Brandon's fist made contact with Reese's stomach, knocking the air out of him.

Reese staggered backwards, but his determination wouldn't allow him to slow down. With all his strength, he delivered a hard blow squarely in Brandon's jaw. Blood sprayed from they boy's split lip as he went crashing to the ground. Reese dove on top of him and continued to pound his fist into him until one of Brandon's friends grabbed the back of his shirt and hoisted him to his feet. A hard fist smashed into Reese's temple causing a white hot pain to flash behind his eyes. He struggled to hold onto consciousness, but finally managed to steady himself and kick the jock's leg as hard as he could—sending the boy to his knees. Just as he thought he had the upper hand again, a third boy attacked Reese from behind with a blow to his back. He groaned in pain but didn't go down. He spun around to return the favor, but someone's hand grasped his shoulder firmly and jerked him backwards before he got the chance.

"Get off me!" Reese screamed, expecting that it was yet another of Brandon's lackeys. He flailed his arms behind him, but only made contact with air. A brief glimpse over his shoulder revealed Mr. Herkabe, the school's Dean of Student Discipline. He froze, his stomach sinking to his knees in dread.

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you Reese?" Mr. Herkabe asked maliciously. He grabbed Reese by the arm and started to drag him toward the building to his office.

"It wasn't my fault! What about them? They jumped me first!" Reese screamed as Mr. Herkabe hauled him through the crowd of onlookers that had gathered to watch the fight.

AN: Thanks to MysticDreamer673 for your nice review. I'm glad you like it so far. Reviews are much appreciated, as always!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter possibly borders on an R-rating due to language. Lets just say that Reese isn't too happy. Just a word of caution.

A/N2: Thanks for your review you-want-to-know. You're right, Reese if very much a victim in this story. Hopefully it will make more sense later on. As for the MP3 player, he's had a few jobs on the show, then there's always Christmas. R&R everyone!

Chapter 3

Reese sat brooding in Mr. Herkabe's office while the dean added to the long list of offences that were in his permanent record. Becoming angrier by the second, he couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. "It wasn't my fault! Aren't you even going to let me say what happened?" Reese finally blurted out.

"Reese, this file speaks for itself. You've been nothing but a troublemaker since you were in Kindergarten. I don't need to hear whatever BS story you've made up this time. You're suspended for a week."

"That's not fair! I was minding my own business when they came over and jumped me. It really wasn't my fault this time! What was I supposed to do?"

"Sure Reese. It's never your fault, is it?" Mr. Herkabe asked sarcastically.

"But it's really_ not_ this time! How many weeks are they getting?"

"They'll receive a warning."

"WHAT? Are you _kidding_ me?" Reese jumped to his feet, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"I suggest that you take your seat immediately, Mr. Wilkerson."

Anger burned in Reese's eyes as he returned the dean's unwavering gaze with contempt, but he reluctantly gave in and sat back down before he did something that he would later regret.

"Those boys are model students in this school. They maintain decent grades and are outstanding players on the football team. Who do you think I'm going to believe, Reese—them, or a constant nuisance like you?"

"Oh, that's it. I get it now." Reese sneered "If you suspend them, they'll be kicked off the team. You can't lose your star players, can you? Like winning a stupid football game is so fucking important!" He could feel his anger taking total control of him.

Mr. Herkabe remained collected in spite of Reese's flaring temper. "Your little outburst just earned you an extra week of suspension."

"I don't care! You're all just out to get me! I've had it with this damn school!"

"Three weeks."

"You know what? Why don't you save yourself some time and just _expel_ me cause I'm never coming back to this hellhole anyway!" Reese couldn't believe the words that were spewing from his own mouth, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Oh, you'll be back after you serve your _one month, _Reese. I'm sure your mother will see to that. And I'll be here when you get back to watch every move you make like a hawk. I'll make your life totally miserable until the day you graduate, which will probably take years because you're dumb as a rock. I can't believe that you and Malcolm are even related. How does it feel being the _failure_ of the family?" Mr. Herkabe scoffed. The dean knew that it was a low blow and completely unprofessional, but he wasn't exactly known for having good ethics.

"Rot in hell, you fucking bastard!" Reese jumped up from the chair with such force that it toppled over backwards. He spun around to walk out of the office, but was briefly taken aback when he saw that Malcolm standing in the doorway with a look of wide-eyed disbelief on his face. "Get out my way" Reese growled and pushed past his brother.

"Reese wait!" Malcolm called. Reese ignored him and kept walking so he turned his attention to the dean. "I heard what you said. That was below the belt! You had no right to insult him like that!"

"And you had no right to be listening in on a private conversation." Mr. Herkabe said flatly.

"I just came by to see if he's okay. Stevie said that he was jumped by half of the football team."

"It certainly wasn't half. Besides, I'm sure your brother was the instigator, as always." Mr. Herkabe said.

"That's such a load of crap! You don't even know what happened! You're looking for any excuse to suspend him again just because you hate him!" Malcolm shouted.

"And you two will be enjoying suspension together if you don't calm down. I wouldn't want your perfect 4.0 to suffer, would you Malcolm?" Mr. Herkabe said with a note of malice in his voice.

"Ok… I'm sorry that I raised my voice. I just wish you'd cut him some slack once in awhile. He's been having a tough time lately. You don't understand him like I do."

"Oh, I understand his deviant little mind just fine. And for your information, I only gave him one week. Reese chose to show a complete lack of respect for my authority, earning himself him the extra three weeks. You heard how he spoke to me yourself."

"Look, I know he was wrong and I'm sure he'll realize it too after he has a chance to calm down. Can't you give him a break this time and reduce it back to a week so he at least has a remote chance of passing?" Malcolm pleaded.

"You know that Reese isn't capable of telling the difference between right and wrong, Malcolm. I think a month to think about how he's behaved will do him good."

"Ok. I understand. So I guess I'll just head back to class now." Malcolm shrugged casually and got up to leave. "Oh, by the way, what do you think the odds are of you keeping your job as the Dean of Student Discipline if the word were to ever get around to, let's say, certain prominent members of the community about how you show favoritism to some students and degrade others by telling them how stupid they are. And I'm not just talking about Reese—over the past four years you've put down and outright humiliated over half the kids at this school at some point. I'm sure they'll be more than willing to provide written statements of all the demeaning things that you've said and done to them. You know, unnecessary personal attacks like that coming from someone in a role model position, such as yourself, could really lower our self esteem and damage our fragile teenaged minds, which, of course, might lead to some _really_ nasty consequences. If something like that were to ever get out to the wrong people, I'm sure there would be lawsuits flying all over the place and you would probably never set foot inside a school again. Can I have a pass back to class?"

Mr. Herkabe's face flushed red in anger because he knew that he'd been beaten. He couldn't deny the truth in Malcolm's accusations. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Ok Malcolm, you win this round, but the time _will_ come when you won't outsmart me!" He said through clenched teeth as he scribbled his signature on a hall pass. "Two weeks and not a second less! Now take your pass and get out of my sight!"

"Thanks Mr. Herkabe, I'll see you around." Malcolm said innocently, accepting the pass. He quickly left the office and grinned all the way back to class.

XXXXXXXXX

Reese stormed furiously from the school building with a look that dared anyone to try and stop him. His suspension didn't start until the following day so he was in violation of the rules by leaving without permission, but he wasn't about to go sit through his afternoon classes after what happened. He couldn't believe how unfairly and he'd been treated. He could almost accept the unfairness of it all because he was used to getting blamed for things that he didn't do at home and at school, but he couldn't accept how the arrogant dean had deliberately belittled him by comparing him to Malcolm and calling him a failure. Even if it was true, he didn't need to be reminded of it.

He trudged home, his face so twisted with anger that people crossed the street to get out of his way. In his room, he heaved a lamp at the wall causing a deafening crash to echo throughout the empty house. It made no difference; he was already in enough trouble to keep his parents shouting at him for the whole evening. They wouldn't even notice the broken lamp after they heard about how he'd been in a fight, cussed out the dean, and skipped school for the rest of the day to top it all off. His mother would make sure that his one month of suspension was a living hell and he would still be grounded indefinitely after it was over.

Exhausted from not having slept the night before, Reese decided to take a short nap. Before he got in bed he set the alarm to go off at 2:45, which would give him plenty of time to walk back to school so he could meet Jade. Breaking his 3:30 curfew didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Reese looked around the parking lot as students came pouring from the building after the dismissal bell. He carefully tried to blend in with the crowd so he wouldn't be spotted by Mr. Herkabe or any of the teachers whose classes he had skipped that afternoon. They would drag him back in the building and make him sit in detention for the rest of the afternoon even though he was suspended for the next month anyway. He finally saw Jade come out of the building so he quickly got her attention and followed her to her car.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here before someone sees me. I ditched third and fourth period." Reese said urgently.

"I take it that you got suspended?" Jade asked, climbing in behind the steering wheel.

"Yeah, he gave me a freakin' month!" Reese slid into the passenger seat next to her.

"No way! I saw those punks in the hall when we changed classes. They were all standing around laughing like idiots so I don't think they even got any time. "

"I know! It's so unfair. Herkabe totally has it out for me. I told him he could go to hell." Reese boasted. He didn't feel like going into detail about the rest of his encounter with the dean.

"No you didn't!" Jade exclaimed.

"Yeah, I really did. I don't care. I'm so over this school anyway. I wish he would've expelled me so I would never have to come back."

"I know what you mean. I'm outta here as soon as I turn eighteen." Jade said casually.

"Huh? You mean you're dropping out?" Reese asked with surprise. 

"Yeah, I can't wait. All my friends have already dropped out. Well, except for Jen, but she's doing a year in the detention home because she got busted for having pot in her locker. You're close to eighteen, aren't you? You should drop out too if you hate it so much."

Although he barely knew Jade, Reese still couldn't believe what he was hearing. She came off as sweet and innocent, but here she was talking about her pothead friends and dropping out of school. She was nothing like what he'd first thought. "I…uh…can't drop out." Reese fumbled for words due to his surprise.

"Why not? When you're eighteen you can do whatever you want. You have go with what's right for _you_."

"My parents would go ballistic if another one of us dropped out. My brother Francis dropped out of military school three years ago and I really thought they were going to kill him. They probably would've if he hadn't bailed right away to go live in Alaska."

"Thank God I don't have to deal with controlling parents like that. I've never met my dad and my mom barely knows that I exist because she's too busy partying all the time. She wouldn't care if I dropped out today, but she says I have to go until I'm eighteen so _she_ doesn't get in trouble."

"That's harsh." Reese said. Even though his family drove him crazy, he would never want to go through life without them.

"Not really. I can do whatever I want, it's great. Could you hand me my cigarettes from the glove compartment?"

The surprises just kept on coming. Reese didn't really like the idea that she smoked, but wasn't going to make a big deal about it. He retrieved the pack and handed it to her.

"Want one?" Jade asked.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke."

"Oh…you should try it sometime. It's very relaxing." She said as she lit a cigarette.

"So, where are we going anyway?" Reese wanted to change the subject.

"My house, it's not much further. Chris and Zack are probably already there."

"Chris and Zack?"

"My friends that I've been telling you about…Don't worry, they're like my brothers." Jade added, detecting a slight hint of jealousy from Reese.

"That's cool. What do you all do?"

"Just hang out and drink or get high, you know, the usual. My mom's never home in the evenings so we'll have the house to ourselves. You like to party, right?"

"Yeah, who doesn't?" Reese said. In reality though, he was beginning to feel uneasy about the situation. He'd had no idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to meet her after school. Although he had done _a lot_ of really stupid things in his life, he had never been tempted to take drugs before. His parents had drilled the whole 'drugs are bad' speech into his brain for years, but what really mattered was that Francis had told him to stay away from them too. If Francis said something was a bad idea, he believed it. 'Ok…no problem. I'll just have a few beers. That's it. No drugs though.' He rationalized to himself as they drove the rest of the way to Jade's house.

They pulled into Jade's driveway and went inside she introduced him to her friends who were watching TV. "Hi guys. This is Reese. That's Chris and that's Zack." She pointed out each of them. Reese immediately recognized them from school although he hadn't seen them around in months. They were known for being hard-core stoners around campus. Chris was tall and lanky with shoulder length brown hair and gaunt features while Zack was of average build with spiked hair that was dyed jet black and a tattoo of a dragon on his forearm. Both boys seemed to have a passion for body piercings.

"Sup." They both muttered, obviously already drunk or stoned, or both.

"I think I know you. You're that dude who's always kicking the crap out of someone. Zack pointed out.

"Yeah, he beat the hell out of Brandon Adams just today. It was so sweet!" Jade exclaimed. "Then he got kicked out for a month for telling Herkabe to go to hell!"

"Sweet." Chris mumbled without emotion.

"Actually, it was. I've been waiting for a chance to tell him that for three years." Reese grinned, feeling better for the first time all day.

Jade motioned for him to take a seat on the couch then went to the refrigerator, returning with two beers. Reese cracked his open and took a long gulp. He was thankful for something to take the edge off of the long evening the he had ahead of him when he got home.

They spent the next hour getting to know each other better. He told them about his crazy family, leaving out the part where they were all terrified of his mother. He found out that his family was nowhere near as messed up as theirs though. As he popped open his third beer, he glanced at the clock and realized that it was 4:20. He had to leave soon so he could be home when his mom got there.

"So you guys ready to fire up?" Chris asked, pulling a bag of pot from his coat pocket.

"Actually, I gotta go." Reese said. "I promised my little brother that I would...uh...take him to...to the mall so he could get a new game for his Xbox." Reese groped for an excuse. He couldn't sound lame by telling them that was grounded. "He'll be _so_ disappointed if I don't take him today. He's a sensitive kid."

"That's really sweet of you, Reese. Come on, I'll drive you home." Jade offered.

"Later." Reese said to Chris and Zack. He grabbed his beer and followed Jade out the door.

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"That was fun." Jade said as she drove toward Reese's house.

"Yeah, we'll do it again soon." Reese smiled. He knew this girl was bad news, but he couldn't help but like her.

"I was kinda hoping that we could do something tomorrow. I'll skip school and we can hang out all day." She said and lit a cigarette.

Reese knew that he wouldn't be going anywhere tomorrow, or any other day for that matter, once his parents learned about his suspension. "I'd love to, but my mom will probably be calling to make sure I'm home. She's going to ground me for the next ten years after she hears what happened. Man, I hate how she controls me!" Reese grumbled. He was surprised to hear her giggling. "What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing, you're just cute when you're mad. Your mom just worries about you, that's all. Sometimes I wish that I had a mom who cared, but then again, I'm glad I don't."

"I'm _cute_?" Reese hadn't heard a word she'd said after that. "Cute is for puppies and little kids." He joked.

"Sorry. How about _hot _then?Does that work for you?"

"Yeah, I guess hot will do" Reese tried to act cool even though he could feel himself blushing.

When they were a few miles away from his house, Reese got that familiar sinking feeling in his stomach. He was having such a good time that he'd almost forgotten that he'd have to face his mother in a little while. With his mind a little fuzzy from the beer, he watched Jade finish her cigarette and started to wonder if there was any truth to what she told him. "So, do they really calm you down?"

"What? Cigarettes? Yeah, most people think so….Why, you want one now?"

"I'm feeling really tense. Maybe it'll help." He took one of the cigarettes from her pack and lit it, then immediately started coughing. "How can you breathe this stuff in?" He asked between coughs.

"You have to start out easy. Don't inhale so much at a time"

After a few tries he finally stopped coughing. He started to get a little light headed, but it wasn't a bad feeling. "Hey, you're right. I do feel more relaxed." When they neared his house, he quickly threw the remainder of the cigarette out the window. Neither of his parents' cars was there, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"So, you never gave me an answer about tomorrow." Jade said.

"I'll try to sneak out at some point, but I don't know when yet. I'll call you."

"Ok. I can't wait to see you again."

"I can't wait to see you either." Reese whispered. Slowly, he leaned closer in hopes of kissing her. He was happy when she eagerly returned the gesture. As their lips met, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

"I have to go." Reese opened the door to get out after they broke the kiss. He didn't really want her to leave, but he knew his mom could show up at any minute. "Mind if I borrow a couple smokes? It's going to be a rough night." He took two cigarettes from the pack and shoved them in his jacket.

"No problem. See you tomorrow." Jade replied.

"Ok, later." He watched her back out of the driveway, then hurried into his house.

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AN: Thanks for your nice reviews MysticDreamer and Cassie!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Malcolm was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework when Reese came in. He was furious because he and Dewey had arrived home by 3:30, just as their mom had ordered. Reese, who was responsible for them being grounded in the first place, had been out doing what he wanted. "What's wrong with you?" Malcolm yelled when his brother walked through the door.

"What are you talking about?" Reese asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He wondered if it was obvious he'd been drinking.

"I'm talking about _mom_, you moron! She told us to be home at 3:30, remember?" Malcolm said impatiently.

"Oh. Yeah, I remembered." Reese relaxed a little.

"So where the hell have you been then?" Malcolm pressed.

"She didn't call to check up on us, did she?" He knew that she would have insisted that each of them get on the phone so she could be sure that they were all at home.

"No. You got lucky this time."

Reese breathed a sigh of relief. "If she asks, I was here the whole time."

Dewey walked in from the living room where he was watching TV and kicked Reese hard in the leg.

"What the hell was that for?" Reese demand.

"We've been sitting here all afternoon because of _you_ and you weren't even here!" Dewey shouted.

"You were the one who started it this morning, It's_ you're_ fault we got grounded!"

"Who cares whose fault it was?" Malcolm retorted. "Just _shut up_ about it already. It's OVER!"

"I'm telling mom you were late." Dewey muttered angrily.

"You won't if you know what's good for you." Reese warned.

"Seriously Reese, why would you want to go against her on today of all days? Don't you think that you're in enough trouble already?" Malcolm asked.

"You see, that's the beauty of it Malcolm. I'm already in so much trouble that I'll probably be grounded until I'm thirty. What more could they possibly do to me? I thought that I should at least get to enjoy my last afternoon of freedom."

"What did you do this time Reese?" Dewey asked.

"Let's see, first I got in a fight—which was not my fault, by the way. So then I cussed out Herkabe and he suspended me for a month. Then I figured 'what the hell' so I ditched afternoon classes. Yeah, I think that about covers it."

"A _month_!" Dewey exclaimed. "You won't have to worry about being grounded. Mom's just going to kill you."

"Actually, it's only two weeks." Malcolm spoke up. "I talked him out of the whole month thing."

"Really? Thanks Malcolm...I appreciate you having my back." Reese said sincerely.

"You owe me big time! At least you'll have a chance to pass now. She's still going to be _really_ pissed when she finds out what you said to Herkabe though"

"Did you hear what he said to _me_?"

"He was totally wrong to talk to you like that and you shouldn't let it get to you, Reese. Everyone knows that he's just an egotistical jackass."

"Mom's home!" Dewey called out as he looked out the kitchen window.

"Damn! Just let it be over with quickly." Reese whimpered.

"Hi boys." Lois said as she came through the door carrying their little brother Jamie. Surprisingly, she seemed to be in a good mood. "What's going on?" She plopped Jamie down in his high chair where he was content, for the moment.

"Nothing." Malcolm responded a little too quickly.

"Yeah, just talking mom." Dewey added.

"You mean you all are actually talking to each other like civil human beings?" She asked, eyeing them suspiciously. . 

"Sure mom. We're all sorry about this morning. We really do appreciate the time you spend to make breakfast everyday. We promise it won't happen again." Reese spoke up, hoping that his apology sounded heartfelt. He _really_ needed to get on her good side today.

"Ok ok, you don't have to lay it on so thick, Reese. You're all off the hook."

"Thanks mom." The three brothers said in unison.

"I'll finish this in my room so I'm not in the way" Malcolm said, gathering his papers off the kitchen table. Reese followed him to their bedroom and Dewey went back to the living room to watch TV.

"Oh man, she doesn't know yet. I can't take this!" Reese cried, shutting the door to their bedroom. He took off his jacket and threw it on his bed. The cigarettes that he'd borrowed from Jade rolled out of the pocket, but neither of them noticed.

"I guess you could go tell her and get it over with." Malcolm suggested, plopping down on his bed.

"What? You've got to be kidding me."

"She'll find out either way."

I know, but I'm not going to be the one who tells her! Maybe Herkabe changed his mind."

"I seriously doubt it….Hey, what's that smell?" Malcolm asked.

"What smell? I don't smell anything." Reese said.

"I don't know. It kinda smells like alcohol…and smoke, or something. It seems to be coming from…." Malcolm rose from his bed to follow the scent, but it didn't take long for him to figure it out. "You've been drinking!"

"So _what_?" Reese retorted. "It was only a few beers! It's not like I'm drunk."

"Are you crazy? Mom will be able to smell it!"

"I'll just put on some cologne. I guess you've forgotten how you got totally wasted last Thanksgiving and ruined the damn dinner that I spent all day cooking? You don't have any right to say one word so get off my case!"

"Ok, you're right. It's not a big deal. You better just hope that mom doesn't notice…but why do you smell like smoke?" Malcolm asked.

"I met this girl during lunch and we hung out after school. That's where I was. She and her friends smoke. I guess the smell got on my clothes. Any more questions?" Reese asked defensively. "Geez, you're acting like mom!"

"Hi boys!" Hal, their father, opened the door to greet them after coming home from work. He walked over and sat on Reese's bed, pushing his jacket out of the way. The cigarettes rolled onto the floor. "What are you up to?"

"Not much." The brothers replied. Their eyes widened in alarm when they both spotted the cigarettes lying right next to their dad's feet. Hal, who could be a bit ditzy at times, didn't notice the cigarettes or his sons' uneasiness.

"Were j-just doing our homework dad, that's all." Malcolm stuttered.

"Reese, you're doing homework?" Hal sounded surprised. "That's great son, I'm glad to see you making an effort these days. I'll let you boys get back to work then. See you at dinner."

"Ok dad." They said nervously as he left the room.

"She smokes? _She_ smokes?" Malcolm fumed, plucking the cigarettes from the floor. "Then what the hell are _YOU _doing with_ THESE_? Do you have a death wish or something, Reese? Are you going for an all time record for how much trouble you can get into in _one day_?"

"Shhhh! Shut up Malcolm, they'll hear you!" Reese put his hands on his brother's shoulders in an effort to calm him down. "Please don't tell them about this. Please!" He knew that he was at Malcolm's mercy so there was no need to act tough anymore.

"This is serious, Reese. I don't know if I should cover for you this time. It's got to be the stupidest thing you've ever done! You know how hard it was for Francis to quit!"

"I'm begging you, Malcolm. Please don't say anything. I only smoked one cigarette. I just have those to help me calm down after mom gets through with me. I swear I won't do it anymore after that. Just don't tell them!" Reese pleaded.

"HE DID _WHAT_?" Their mother's voice bellow throughout the house all the way from the kitchen.

"Shit! She knows!" Reese cried out.

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A/N: Thanks for your review skat8erchick, I'm glad you like it!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"REESE! _Get in here right now_!" Lois roared when she hung up the phone.

Reese walked into the kitchen, head low, with Malcolm following behind him at a safe distance.

"What's wrong? What'd he done this time?" Hal asked, rushing in from the living room. Dewey also got up from his spot on the couch and peered around the kitchen doorway to watch the show.

"That was Mr. Herkabe on the phone. It seems that Reese has been fighting at school again." Lois pointed an accusing finger at her son. "But that's not even the worst part. Mr. Herkabe said that he cussed at him and told him to 'go rot in hell, you fucking bastard' among other things. What's _wrong_ with you Reese? You do not speak to people like that—especially not your_ principal_!"

"Reese! What were you thinking?" His dad asked with shock.

"But he—"

"I don't care! There's no excuse for that behavior. I will not tolerate one of my boys acting so blatantly disrespectful!" Lois shouted.

"If you would just listen—"

"Close your mouth, Reese. It doesn't matter what he did. There's NO excuse. Do you understand me? _None_. I may not be the best mother, but I know that I didn't raise you to be a disrespectful, defiant little punk."

"You mother's right, Reese. Sometimes people say things that we don't like, but it doesn't mean that you can tell them what you think. If I did that at work, I'd have been fired years ago!" Hal spoke up.

"In all fairness, Herkabe was a total jerk to him and he didn't even start the fight this time." Malcolm tried to defend his brother.

"You stay out of this Malcolm!" Lois warned. "Do you have any idea what two weeks suspension is going to do to your grades? My God, Reese, you're barely passing now! Don't you ever want to graduate?"

"I don't care. I'm stupid anyway." Reese muttered, thinking about was Mr. Herkabe had said to him.

"Don't you dare get smart with me!" Lois advised. "You'd better care! You _will_ graduate! Even if it takes ten more years for you to do it! Mr. Herkabe also said that you left school without permission. What have you been doing all afternoon?"

"I was home the whole time." Reese lied.

"Well I hope you like it here because you will not step foot outside of this house—not even to go in the yard—during your two week suspension. I'm going to call you _every_ hour to make sure that you're here. Then after the two weeks, you will only leave long enough to go to school for the next three months."

"Three months! You can't ground me for _three months_!" Reese protested.

"Oh I can't? You watch me, mister. And while you're stuck in the house with nothing to do for the next two weeks, you will clean every room—including the garage—from top to bottom. I want everything in this house to be spotless. And no music, video games or TV for three months!"

"Dad?" Reese looked to his father for help.

"Honey, don't you think three months might be a little steep for something like this? He's worse things than this before." Hal reasoned. Lois turned around and glared at him with a look that meant he'd better support her decision, or else. "Listen to your mother, Reese." He said, not willing to argue with her further.

"This is so unfair. You could at least let me tell you what happened. No one ever bothers to listen to my side of the story!"

"You're right, I don't care what your excuse is this time. I've had it with you. You're the most ungrateful and disobedient kid I've ever seen. You're worse than Francis!"

"I'm not a kid! I'll be eighteen soon and you won't be able to tell me what to do then!" Reese shot back.

"Oh, is that what you think? You think when you turn eighteen, then you're magically allowed to do whatever you want? Well let me tell you something—as long as you're living _this _house, you will do what _we_ say and don't you _ever_ forget it! Now go to your room. I don't want to see you for the rest of the evening." Lois ordered.

"FINE!" Reese turned and stomped off, slamming his bedroom door behind him.

Trembling with anger, he locked the door and grabbed one of the cigarettes that Malcolm had left on the dresser when they hurried out of the room. "You want defiant, bitch? I'll show you defiant!" Reese mumbled bitterly to himself. He climbed out of the window and lit the cigarette. As he smoked, he decided that he would definitely sneak out and see Jade tomorrow if for no other reason than to spite his mother.

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A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews Skat8erchick and Ruperts-a-honey! They really help inspire me to write more! Reese is my fav too, obviously—but I might end up being really mean to him before this is over. I guess I'm just sadistic like that. :-) I think this story is going to turn out a lot longer than I planned so keep up the reviews and let me know how it's going.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The following day, Lois ran through a list of chores for Reese to do before she left for work. Without acknowledging her, he mechanically shoveled pancakes into his mouth as he sat at the kitchen table having breakfast with the rest of the family.

"Did you hear me?" Lois demanded, glaring at him.

"I _got_ it, OK? I'm supposed to wash the breakfast dishes, clean the living room and the bathrooms until they're '_spotless'_ and not leave the house under any circumstances. I heard your stupid list!" Reese said angrily, slamming his fork on the table.

Malcolm and Dewey exchanged worried glances. Reese's attitude wasn't earning him any forgiveness points from their parents.

"Don't you take that tone with your mother, Reese!" Hal warned.

"Good. I'm glad you were paying attention." Lois said cheerfully, not letting his hateful demeanor bother her. "Before you got up, I also took the liberty of taking your video games, CDs, MP3 player, and the TV remote. It's all in my car so don't bother looking for any of it."

Reese rolled his eyes in disgust. He wished they all would just hurry up and leave.

"All right, let's move it." Lois finally rustled everyone up from the breakfast table after what seemed like an eternity to Reese.

He watched them all go about their normal routine of gathering their things before heading out to face the day one by one. "I'll call you." Lois reminded him with a smile before leaving with a crying Jamie in her arms. Finally, the morning chaos was over and all was peaceful in the house. After waiting a few minutes to be sure no one had forgotten anything, he went to the phone and dialed Jade's number.

XXXXX

"What a cozy house!" Jade said, taking a seat on the Wilkerson's couch later the same day.

"Sorry to change plans at the last minute, I couldn't sneak out because she's been calling once an hour all day." Reese complained.

"No problem. Want a cigarette?" She asked lighting one for herself.

"Sure." Reese lit the cigarette and inhaled without coughing.

"So, do your parents have any beer?"

"They don't drink very often. If they have a stash, we haven't found it yet. Sorry." Reese replied.

"That's cool. We can still party, I brought some weed." Jade pulled a bag from her purse began to roll a joint with its contents.

Reese knew that this was a bad idea, but he didn't care anymore. He was tired of everyone in his family telling him what to do all the time.

He watched Jade light the joint then pass it to him. He accepted it and took a hit, beginning to feel its effects almost immediately. Without much conversation, they passed it back and forth until it was gone. Afterwards, his body was like jelly so he slumped down on the couch and stared and the blank TV screen—not really noticing, or caring, that it wasn't even on. For the first time in days, he felt content. All the unpleasant thoughts about his family and school that usually racked his brain seemed to have melted away.

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A/N: Sorry short chapter, next one is longer. Thanks for reviewing Sk8terchick, Ruperts-a-Honey and Qk! I appreciate it bunches. Next chap will be up soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

For the first week and a half of his suspension, Reese managed to avoid trouble. It was purely luck because he set himself up to get caught plenty of times. He would get high as soon as his family left in the mornings, attempt to complete his mother's chores, then spend the afternoons drinking and getting high again with Jade before his brothers got home from school. He liked Jade, but in his mind he knew that the relationship was only based on drugs and sex. Not that he really had a problem with that though.

His family was so wrapped up in their own affairs that no one seemed to notice his odd behavior and sudden withdrawal from their lives as he quickly spiraled downward into addiction. When they were home, he spent most of his time detached from them in his room. Malcolm noticed that he was acting strangely most afternoons and questioned him about it a few times. Reese managed to convince his brother that he wasn't feeling well—when in reality he was still feeling the effects of the drugs and alcohol. Malcolm decided that he was probably just depressed from being without privileges and confined to the house for so long. He figured that Reese would bounce back to normal as soon as their parents slacked up on him a little.

In addition to becoming increasingly dependant on pot, he was smoking cigarettes on a regular basis even though he told Malcolm that he'd kept his promise of not smoking again after that first night. When he craved a hit or a smoke, he would wait until his family was preoccupied with their own activities, then climb out his bedroom window so they couldn't smell it. The drugs and cigarettes were starting to have less of an effect on him than at first so he constantly had to increase the amount to get results that he wanted. Although it had only been a short time, he felt that he couldn't make it through the day without them.

As the days passed, Lois gradually reduced her number of calls to check up on Reese. He had begun to earn her trust back by doing everything that she'd asked the previous week. Nearly halfway through the second week, Reese decided that he needed to get out of the house for awhile. He knew he shouldn't push his luck, but something was on his mind that he wanted to do even though he knew it would only make the situation worse for him.

XXXXX

That evening, Reese came in through the front door rather than the kitchen. He knew that he was in serious trouble. He was so glad just to be free of his house that he hadn't kept track of the time. It was already past six and his family was having dinner. With any luck, he would buy himself a few more minutes and sneak off to his room.

"REESE! Get in here!" Lois bellowed the familiar phrase from the dinner table as soon as he closed the door behind him. He slowly trudged to the entrance of the kitchen, preparing himself to face his parents.

"Where have you been? How dare you leave this house when you're grounded! It hasn't even been two weeks yet!" She lectured without bothering to look up from her meal.

"It's the first time I've been out of this house in ten days! I was going crazy!" He tried to justify his actions and casually avoid the question of where he'd been.

Lois didn't notice that everyone else seated around the table had dropped their forks and were now staring at Reese in shock.

"That's the point of being grounded, Reese. It's not supposed to be fun. You don't just leave when you get tired of it. Oh and you're _going_ to be sorry, believe me!" Lois finally turned to face him. "You just got yourself an extra--WHAT in the hell is THAT on your face?"

"It's a nose ring, mom." Reese replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"I _know_ what it is! Why is it on your face?" She screeched.

"I wanted one. A lot of people have them. It's not a big deal." He shrugged casually.

"A lot of people have them? It's not a big deal? Well let me tell you something—_you're_ not having it." She pointed her finger at him. "You will take that thing out this instant!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not taking it out." Reese said calmly. The joint he'd smoked before coming home was helping him stay mellow about the situation.

"_Excuse me?_" Lois snapped, rising from her seat. She couldn't believe that he had the nerve to blatantly defy her right to her face.

"I think he meant he's not taking it out _now_…because the hole would get dirt and stuff in it and get infected. It has to heal a few days first." Malcolm intervened. He knew it was a load of crap, but he felt like he should do _something_ to save his brother from her fury. "You just meant you should wait a few days, _right Reese_?"

"No. I meant I'm not taking it out. Period." Reese replied slowly, stubbornly ignoring Malcolm's gesture to help him.

"Now you listen to me!" Hal began as he rose from his seat and moved toward his son, waving his finger in his face. It was a rare occasion when he got seriously angry at his boys, but this was definitely one of those times. "I'm fed up with your disrespectful attitude. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but I don't like it and it's about to change right now. We're not asking you to take it out, we're _telling_ you! Do you understand me?"

"You can't make me." Reese said smugly.

"Uh Oh" Dewey muttered from his seat at the table where he was quietly watching the scene unfold.

"You wanna bet?" Lois spat furiously. She reached out and grabbed the silver ball in Reese's nose between her fingertips, sending him to his knees in pain because it was still sore from the piercing. Lois thought it would pull straight out—not realizing that the post was curved inside to keep it place.

Reese cried out in agony, but refused to give in. Tendrils of pain radiated from his throbbing nostril. He tried to pull away from her, but the metal post began to tear through his flesh, causing a stream of warm blood to run over his lip.

"Mom stop! You're really hurting him!" Malcolm pleaded to no avail.

"All you have to do is give in and I'll stop. You're only prolonging this for yourself." Lois said, trying very hard not to fold and let him win. She didn't like doing this at all, but she knew it was the only way she was going to get through to him. She looked down and suddenly noticed the pack of cigarettes working its way out of Reese's coat pocket as he struggled. She immediately let go of the nose ring and snatched them up. "You're smoking? My God, Reese! Have you _completely_ lost your mind?"

"You promised me you'd quit!" Malcolm shouted at his brother.

"You _knew_ about this?" Lois asked.

"I…uh…well…" Malcolm stuttered, realizing that he'd just got himself in trouble.

"Nevermind, I'll deal with you later" Lois said. "I can't believe you, Reese! _Smoking_? What else have you been doing? You've been acting really strange lately—are you on drugs?"

"I'm not on drugs, mom!" Reese lied as he stood up, cupping his hand over his nose.

"Then _what_ is wrong with you? Why are you doing these things?" She demanded.

"Nothing's wrong with me. What's wrong with you? What kind of mother are you? You made me _bleed_, you crazy bitch!" Reese yelled, holding up his hand that was red with blood from his injured nose.

Fire burned in Lois's eyes. She was so consumed with rage that she didn't realize what she was doing when she raised her hand and slapped his face with such force that he lost his balance and slammed against the wall behind him. Aside from a few mild spankings when they were younger, she had never struck any of her children before. As she watched him stagger back from the blow, she was immediately sorry. The sight of his reddened cheek along with his bleeding nose made her feel completely ashamed of herself. "Reese, I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" she said softly.

Reese slowly lifted his hand to his throbbing cheek and briefly stared at her with a mixture of shock and hatred. Without a word, he turned and walked off toward his room.

Lois sat down at the table, placed her head in her hands, and started to sob. "He's right! I'm a horrible mother! What kind of monster makes her own son bleed?"

"Go to your room boys." Hal said to Malcolm and Dewey, who stood frozen in astonishment because they'd never seen their mother snap like this before. He rushed to Lois's side and took her in his arms. "You're a wonderful mother. It wasn't your fault, honey. Reese was asking for it."

"I just don't know what to do with him! Why is he acting this way?" She wailed.

"I don't know…but I know who might be able to find out." Hal said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The following day, Reese left his house for a little while to see Jade. He hadn't spoken to his mother since the previous night so he wasn't planning on answering the phone if she called anyway. He was surprised to see Francis sitting on the couch when he came in. "Francis? What're you doing here?"

"Hey Reese. Where have you been?" Francis asked casually.

"Just out. Nowhere really. Did mom and dad know you were coming to visit today?"

"Yeah, they called last night and asked me to come home. They said it was an emergency." Francis said.

"What happened?" Reese was suddenly worried because he hadn't heard of any emergency. "Is something wrong that I don't know about?"

"You _know_ what's wrong, Reese. Mom was crying on the phone—do you have any idea how traumatic that was for me? I've spent my whole life building her up as this mean, overbearing, hateful, manipulative monster then you have to ruin it all by making her cry in front of me. She sounded so weak and pitiful. I actually felt sorry for her."

"I didn't make her cry! She just felt bad for abusing me. Look what she did!" Reese shouted, pointing at the large purple bruise on his cheek. "Serves her right!"

"They told me everything. They're really worried about you—smoking, talking back, staying in your room all the time, deliberately defying them? What's going on, Reese?" Francis asked with genuine concern.

"So they called _you_?" Reese ignored his question. "You're the worst one of all of us. All that's nothing compared to the crap you've pulled before."

"That's exactly _why_ they called me. I know about these things. Besides, I've grown up a lot and don't do that immature stuff much anymore." Francis walked over to Reese and looked him in the eye as he asked his next question. "Reese, level with me. Are you doing drugs?"

"No! Why would you think that?"

"Don't lie to me! I can look at you and see that you're high right now. Do you think I'm an idiot?" Francis raised his voice.

"I'm not lying Francis!" Reese took a step back, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his brother's presence.

Francis abruptly grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him against the wall. Pinning him in place with his elbow, he started going through Reese's pockets with his free hand.

"Get off me!" Reese screamed and struggled to break free. "You're just as crazy as mom!"

"You're not lying, huh? Then what the hell is _this_?" Francis shouted in his face as he pulled a bag of pot from Reese's jeans. He released his grip on his brother and watched as he slid down the wall and sat on the floor in defeat. "How could you be so stupid, Reese! There's only _one_ thing that I've told you never to do and _this_ is it! I've watched too many of my friends ruin their lives with this shit! Didn't you listen to anything I said?"

"It's just pot. It's not like it's something serious." Reese rationalized.

"You idiot! It _is_ serious! And pot just leads to other stuff—stuff that will _kill_ you!" Francis yelled.

"OK, I'll quit! I swear! Just don't tell anyone. I'm begging you, Francis! They'll go through the roof if they find out!"

"You say you'll quit, but you won't. It's not that easy. You need help."

"Ok. I'll get help. When I go back to school on Monday I'll see the guidance councilor. She'll tell me what to do. Just don't bring mom and dad into this, please?"

"I don't know—" Francis was interrupted when Malcolm and Dewey came through the door from school.

"Francis!" They cried with excitement and ran over to hug their older brother, unaware of the awkward situation that they'd walked in on. They immediately started telling him about all the things that had been going on in their lives since they last talked to him, leaving Francis unable to finish his conversation with Reese. No one noticed when Reese got up and trudged off to his room.

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"GET OUT!" Reese awoke to the harsh sound of his mother's voice. After Malcolm and Dewey got home, he laid on his bed to think about what Francis had said and eventually fell asleep. Now his parents were home and looming over him, looking madder than he'd ever seen them. "Huh?" he asked sleepily.

"You heard your mother. You're out of here! We will not tolerate drugs in this house!" His dad shouted furiously. He grabbed Reese by the shoulder and yanked him into a sitting position. "Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

"What are you doing?" Francis suddenly appeared in the doorway with Malcolm and Dewey following close behind him.

"You _told_ them? You sold me out? How could you do this to me, Francis? I thought we covered for each other!" Reese accused his brother.

"I didn't tell you so you could turn around and kick him out!" Francis yelled at his parents, ignoring Reese. "He needs to get help!"

"You stay out of this, Francis." Lois shouted. "How dare you bring drugs into this house? Of all the irresponsible, idiotic things you've _ever_ done, Reese, this is the worst! If you want to ruin your life, then fine! We're through supporting you—you're on your own from now on."

"Where am I supposed to go?" Reese asked, his voice cracking with emotion. He'd never done something so bad that his parents actually kicked him out before.

"That's not my problem! You should have thought about that before you decided to become a junkie!" Lois yelled.

"You can't do this!" Francis protested. "If you kick him out, the problem will only get worse! You can't just put him on the street and let him destroy himself!"

"He's right! You're not thinking about the consequences. Maybe you should calm down before making a decision like this." Malcolm agreed.

"Just give him one more chance, mom." Dewey spoke up.

"No more chances. I've had it with him!" Lois ignored their pleas.

"I'm sorry son, but you've really pushed your limits too far this time. I think you should leave now." Hal said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Fine, I'll leave. I _want_ to get out of this hellhole!" Reese retorted, pushing past his brothers as he headed to the door.

"Wait Reese! You can come live with me and Piama for awhile." Francis called after him.

"NO! _I hate you_! I hate all of you!" Reese screamed and slammed the front door behind him.

XXXXX

A/N: For the purpose of this story, let's assume that Reese has never been kicked out, or been on his own before and the episodes "Reese's Apartment" and "Reese Joins the Army" never took place. So this is something new for everyone involved. Just Humor me :-)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Reese sat on Jade's couch watching TV. He'd been staying there since his parents kicked him out four days ago. Jade's mother had been staying with her newest boyfriend so she wasn't even aware of the situation—not that she would have cared anyway. Chris and Zack came through the door and plopped on the couch beside him. They were obviously happy about something.

"Dude, we're gonna party tonight!" Zack exclaimed.

"Yeah, we got the good shit." Chris held up a bag full of white powder.

"Is that cocaine?" Reese's eyes widened with surprise.

"Dude, you've never done coke before? Oh man, you're gonna love it!" Zack promised.

"You talked him into letting you have it with no cash again?" Jade asked, walking out of the kitchen. "We already owe him over five hundred dollars!"

"Yeah! I told him we were good for it, we just needed a few more hours. He's coming for the cash tonight, which means that we need to pull another job like _right now_. It's going to get ugly if we don't have it when he gets here." Zack said.

"What kind of job?" Reese looked confused.

"It's no big deal. We'll just knock off a gas station and make them give us the cash out of the registers, then split. It's simple. We've done it twice before." Chris explained.

"You're serious?" Reese couldn't hide his shock. "You're going to _rob_ a gas station?"

"How do you think we pay for all this stuff?" Jade asked. "It's not like any of us has a job."

"_We're_ going to rob a gas station." Chris corrected him. "_You're_ in on this too."

"I-I've never robbed anyone before!" Reese stuttered.

"All you have to do is stand there and hold the gun while we grab the money, then run like hell." Zack said, pulling a handgun out of a cabinet and handing it to Reese. "You don't really have to shoot anybody… unless something goes wrong, of course."

Reese stared at the cold and heavy gun in his hands while he thought about the situation. He already had a record. He had been accused of stealing a car once—even though it was unintentional—as well as charged with a several minor offences that they referred to as 'malicious mischief.' If he got arrested for armed robbery, they would definitely try him as an adult and throw him in jail. "I'm not doing this." He said, laying the gun on the coffee table.

"What do you mean you're not doing it? You can't back out--we're in this together." A look of scorn suddenly distorted Jade's pretty face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not going to risk getting busted. This is crazy! If we get caught, we'll spend the next ten years or more in jail! I'm not taking that chance!" Reese hoped to convince them that it was a bad idea.

"After all we've given you? You owe it to us to take the chance! Do you think all that shit's free?" She asked angrily.

"Why the hell do I have to take part in it? You all obviously know what to do! You've done it without me before!" Reese reasoned.

"Because that's just the way it works, dude. If you want to party, you have to be willing to pay the price! If we get busted, we're all getting busted together." Zack said.

"I swear I'll make it up to you some other way."

"Like hell you will!" Jade shouted. "If you're not willing to do this for us, then get the hell out!"

"What? You're breaking up with me over this?" Reese asked with surprise.

"You don't care about me anyway. You're only using me to get drugs!"

"That's not true!" Reese snapped.

"Then prove it." Jade said and picked up the gun, offering it to him.

"I'm sorry, Jade. I won't do it …but it doesn't mean that I don't care about you."

"Just go, Reese." She said quietly. "Find someone else to support your habits."

He stared at her in disbelief wondering how everything had changed between them in a split second. He finally turned and left without bothering to defend himself further. If she could turn on him that quickly, he didn't need her anyway.

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A/N: Thanks for the good reviews! They motivated me to get on with the next chapter, hence the quick update. Cargarbinx—if you like drama, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the rest of the story. :-)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Dewey! Get up!" Reese called as he tapped on the bedroom window. His brother was sleeping in the bed that used to be his less than five feet away from the window, but still didn't stir despite all the noise. Reese tapped harder, hoping that his parents wouldn't hear it. He was relieved when Malcolm finally crawled out of bed and unlocked the window for him.

"Reese! You're okay!" Malcolm said, thankful to see his brother alive and well.

"Is Dewey breathing? I've been banging on the damn window for five minutes." Reese said climbing into room. "I just came to get some clothes…food would be nice too."

"Where have you been?"

"I was staying with a friend, but now I'm officially homeless." Reese said casually, trying to act like he wasn't worried about it.

"What're you going to do?" Malcolm asked with concern.

"I'll figure out something. I just need to grab some clean clothes and I'll be outta here." Reese opened his drawer in the dresser only to find it empty. He went to the closet and found all of his stuff was missing from there too. As his eyes roamed over the poorly lit room, he realized that everything that belonged to him was gone. "Where the hell is all my stuff?" He cried in alarm.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Reese. Mom and dad made us pack it up. It's over there." Malcolm pointed to the stack of boxes by the door. "We begged them to leave it, but they made us do it anyway."

"So I guess this means I can never come home again." Reese muttered, visibly upset about the situation.

"Listen Reese, I'm sure if you just talked to them and promised to get help, they would let you come home. Mom wants to act like she's so tough and isn't worried about you, but we can hear her crying at night after we go to bed." Malcolm reasoned.

"If she's so worried, then why the hell is she getting rid of my stuff?"

"She just wants to prove some kind of point. You _know_ how she is. If she _really_ wanted to get rid of your stuff, the boxes would've been gone days ago."

"Can you just tell me which box my jeans are in?" Reese asked, becoming annoyed.

"You're still going back to school tomorrow, right?" Malcolm picked up one of the boxes and set it on his bed.

"Are you serious?" Reese scoffed.

"You mean you're not going back? After I blackmailed Herkabe so you would only get two weeks? You still have a chance of graduating, Reese! If you miss any more time, you can forget about it."

"Look, Malcolm. I don't even know where I'm going to sleep tonight. School is the last thing I care about right now. I'm not like _you_!" Reese said irritably. "Besides, I'm too stupid to graduate, remember?" He grabbed two shirts and a pair of jeans from the box, then walked toward the window to leave. He didn't feel like having this conversation any more.

"The only thing that's stupid is you doings drugs! Malcolm retorted. "You're still using, aren't you?" He already knew the answer; he just wanted Reese to admit to it.

"Yeah, I won't lie to you." Reese turned around to face him again. "I was up until this afternoon anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Malcolm looked confused.

"She broke up with me.

"_Who_ broke up with you? I didn't even know you had a girlfriend!"

"Jade—the girl I got the pot from. We've been seeing each other since the day I got suspended." Reese explained.

"Reese, is that you?" Dewey asked sleepily, finally waking up.

"Hey Dewey." Reese said.

"It _is_ you!" Dewey exclaimed and hurried over to hug his brother.

"What's wrong with you?" Reese teased, returning the hug. "You hate me."

"Only when it's convenient." Dewey grinned. "I'm actually starting to miss you—it's really boring around here without you. Even though you're usually torturing me, at least it makes things interesting."

Reese laughed. "I miss you too, Dewey. It was nice having someone around to beat the crap out of whenever I felt like it." Reese smiled and punched Dewey in the arm hard, but playfully.

"Owe! You didn't have to prove it." Dewey grumbled, rubbing the sore spot where Reese had hit him.

"I guess I should go now."

"You might not have to leave if you'd just go in there and talk to them." Malcolm pleaded.

"Forget it, Malcolm. I'm not begging them to let me come home. I doubt they would anyway." Reese climbed out the window. "And don't tell them I was here!"

"We won't…bye Reese." Dewey muttered sadly.

"Reese, wait…" Malcolm said.

Reese paused, waiting for him to continue. "What?"

Malcolm didn't really know what he wanted to say. He was at a loss for the right words, which was something very unusual for him. He wanted to tell his brother that he loved him and was worried about him and that he wanted things to be normal again, but they had an unspoken rule never to say those kinds of things to one another. Neither of them was the type to express their feelings easily—especially not about each other. If he said what he was thinking, Reese would probably just laugh and accuse him of being gay again. "Nothing, forget it. Just…take care of yourself, ok?"

"I'll be fine." He assured them before leaving.

XXXXX

Reese walked down the dark, lonely street with no particular destination in mind because he had nowhere to go. He looked through the windows of the homes along the street, hoping to find one that no one was currently living in. He didn't have a problem with breaking in a place if it was the only way that he could have shelter over his head. Unfortunately, all of the houses that he passed had lights on inside or cars in the driveway. He kept walking and eventually ended up at the only other place besides his own home where felt comfortable—the school. He hadn't even realized where he was going until he found himself standing in front of it.

Reese went into the courtyard and sat on a bench. He felt safe enough here that maybe he could get a few hours of sleep. In the morning, his mind would be clearer and he could figure out what he was going to do. He would have to find a job so he could afford to eat, but he knew it was going to be a long time before he would get to sleep in a soft bed again. It would be months before he earned enough money to rent an apartment. He started thinking that maybe if he apologized to Jade, she would have pity on him and let him live with her—at least until he could get his own place. He figured he had nothing to lose by trying so he decided to go see her tomorrow.

The cold November wind started to pick up, swirling the dead leaves that had recently fallen from the trees around the desolate courtyard. The place had an eerie feel to it in the middle of the night when all was quiet. Only a few lamp posts were scattered around to cut through the darkness, casting a creepy yellow glow over the deserted tables and benches. Reese pulled his jacket collar up around his neck and wrapped his arms around himself for warmth. He was freezing, hungry and in bad need of a fix. When the first drops of rain splashed on his forehead, he couldn't hold back anymore. All of the anguish that he'd kept bottled up inside over the past days suddenly came surging to the surface in a flash. He leaned over, rested his head in his hands, and sobbed.

XXXXX

A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews:-)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The following afternoon, Reese waited in Jade's living room. This was the second time he'd been by her house and she wasn't home. There had been no sign of Chris or Zack all day either. That morning he'd left, figuring that maybe she'd gone to school for a change, but this time he decided to let himself in and wait for her. The door was unlocked, as it usually was, and he knew that she had to come home eventually.

As he waited he took the opportunity to search the house for any drugs or cigarettes that they might have left behind. He hadn't smoked or had a fix since the previous afternoon before Jade kicked him out so he was becoming desperate. Frustrated, he decided to settle for something to eat when he wasn't able to find anything. Food was second on his list of priorities.

While Reese was in the kitchen, he heard the front door open. Thinking that it was Jade, he hurried out to the living room, preparing to beg for forgiveness. He stepped back in surprise when he found a large man in his mid-twenties standing by the couch. He looked tough, with a shaved head and a dangerous gleam in his cold, blue eyes. "Who are you?" Reese asked nervously.

"Where's those punks who're always here?" the man's snarled hatefully.

"Who? Chris and Zack?"

"Yeah. That's them. Where are they? I want my cash…and I want it now." The man said ominously.

"I-I don't know. I haven't seen them since yesterday." Reese stuttered. He realized that this was the dealer who Chris and Zack owed money to.

"They said they would have it last night and they weren't here. They're trying to fuck me out of my money!" The man started to get angry.

"No they're not! I was here yesterday. They said they were going to get it for you. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure they'll have it by tonight." Reese babbled uneasily.

"Who are you?" The man asked, eyeing Reese with suspicion.

"Just a friend of theirs."

"A friend, huh? Then why don't you be a good friend and pay up so I don't have to hurt anybody." The man threatened.

"I don't have any money to give you! I wasn't even in on the deal anyway! I'm sure if you come back tonight, they'll have it for you." Reese's heart hammered against his chest as he started to panic.

"I don't have time to keep playing these games. I think I need to leave a message so they'll get the hint."

"Ok." Reese squeaked. "Do you need something to write it on?"

The man pulled a gun from his coat and shot Reese in the stomach. It all happened so fast that he had no time to react. The deafening sound of the shot was already thundering through the room before he even realized that there was a gun in the man's hand. A look of shock washed over Reese's face as he staggered briefly, then fell to the floor clutching his midsection. His whole side felt like it was on fire. Warm blood soaked through his shirt and trickled over his fingers where he grasped the wound.

"Nah, I don't need no paper. They'll get the message." The man said and walked out the door.

Reese struggled to open his eyes that had instinctively clenched shut from his suffering. When he looked up, he noticed the phone on a table only a few feet from where he'd fallen. Groaning in agony with every move, he rolled onto his belly and managed to crawl over and pull it on the floor by the cord. He slowly punched in the number to his house and placed it to his ear.

"Hello?" Malcolm answered the phone.

"Malcolm…"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"Need...help...sh..shot…" Reese's whispered, his voice low and guttural as he struggled to form coherent words. He could barely focus with the excruciating pain that was surging through his body.

"What? I can't understand you. You have to talk louder. _Who is_ this anyway?" Malcolm was becoming annoyed. As listened to the heavy breathing on the phone he became convinced that it was some kid from school playing a joke. "Is this some kind of stupid prank?"

"Hurry…3..8..5…Ce…Cedar…" Reese struggled to say the address.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't have time for this. Get a life, jackass!" Malcolm shouted and hung up the phone.

Reese ended the call and started to dial again, but suddenly couldn't remember his own number. His mind was fuzzy and he felt lightheaded. Tears began to roll down his cheeks when he realized that no one was coming to help him. He knew he was losing blood fast because from the corner of his eye he could see the crimson pool that had already formed around him. Though he fought to hold onto his last threads of consciousness, his eyelids eventually became too heavy and darkness embraced him.

XXXXX

The Wilkerson's sat down to what they thought was going to be another boring dinner that evening, occupying only four of the six seats. Things had been really dull around their house since Reese had been gone. Malcolm and Dewey easily stayed out of trouble and hadn't been grounded for days without his influence. It was kind of nice to have a break from the normal daily screaming sessions that they were used to, but each one of them was deeply aware of the gaping hole in their lives. It was unnatural for their household to be so quiet and uneventful.

"Was your brother in school today, Malcolm?" Hal asked, finally breaking the silence with the one subject they were supposed to avoid talking about—especially during dinner.

"Hal, we're not discussing this now." Lois snapped.

"I just want to know. I have a right to know if my son was in school today." Hal shot back. They were all very edgy and quick to turn on each other these days. "Answer the question, Malcolm."

"I didn't see him." Malcolm replied, keeping his eyes focused on his food.

"Did you really expect him to be?" Lois asked with annoyance. Malcolm and Dewey sighed. They knew there was no turning back now that the subject had been brought up.

"I don't know, Lois. I think he's more responsible than you give him credit for sometimes." Hal said.

"Responsible? _Responsible_?" Lois threw up her hands in frustration. "He's on _drugs_, Hal. How is that_ responsible_?"

"You're right, mom. Reese did something really stupid and irresponsible, but you shouldn't have kicked him out. He's never going to get better on his own." Malcolm argued.

"Reese needs to learn a lesson, Malcolm. He thinks he can do whatever he wants and we're just going to forgive him and move on. He'll come crawling back home soon and we'll probably let him stay, but I'm certainly not going out of my way to go find him and make life easy for him. I've had it with—"Lois was interrupted by the phone ringing.

She rose from her seat to answer it, responding to the caller with short phrases that didn't give her family any sign of what the conversation was about. "Oh my God!" Lois shrieked unexpectedly, her eyes instantly tearing up. Her family put down their forks and looked up with concern. The phone suddenly fell from her limp fingers and crashed to the floor. For a few seconds, she couldn't move. All she could do was stand there in shock as the tears began to stream down her pale face.

"Honey? What is it?" Hal asked apprehensively.

"Reese has been shot!" Lois sobbed.

XXXXX

A/N: Hope you liked the twist!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Hal drove the family to the hospital after quickly dropping Jamie off at a babysitter. They didn't have many details, other than Reese was in critical condition. Malcolm and Dewey solemnly sat in the back seat, listening to their mother cry.

"This is all my fault" Lois wailed repeatedly. "I should have listened to you boys!"

"It's not your fault, honey. I'm just as much responsible for kicking him out as you. We had no way of knowing something like this would happen." Hal tried to console her.

Halfway through the ride, Dewey got teary eyed for the first time when the reality of the situation finally sank in for him. Malcolm wrapped his arms around his little brother in an unusual display of affection. "He's going to be fine. I know he is." He said, not allowing himself break down. He felt that he needed to stay strong for Dewey's sake. With their parents on the verge of hysteria, he was the only one the kid had to turn to for comfort.

They were met by a police officer at the hospital. A nurse escorted Lois and Hal to a private room to speak to a doctor, leaving Malcolm and Dewey in the waiting room despite their protests. "Do you feel up to answering a few questions?" The officer asked, pulling Malcolm aside.

"I guess." Malcolm agreed. "But first, how is he?"

"I'm sorry, son. I don't have any new information on your brother's condition. Your parents will let you know as soon as they finish talking to the doctor." The officer replied.

"Well how was he the last time you saw him? You're the one who found him, right?" Malcolm asked.

"My partner and I found him, but I'm not a doctor so I'm not really at liberty to give out information like that."

"Just tell me how he looked. He's my brother, damnit! I have a right to know!" Malcolm was becoming irritated because the officer kept avoiding answers to his questions.

"Malcolm, your brother…he lost a lot of blood. That's all I can tell you. Thank God a neighbor called 911 and reported hearing a gunshot when they did, or Reese wouldn't have made it this far." The officer said gravely.

Malcolm placed his head in his hands and forced back his tears before he was able to continue. "Who did this?"

"Well, that's what we're trying to find out. I was hoping you could give us some leads to look into. Can you give me the names of some of Reese's friends?"

"I don't really know." Malcolm said. "He's been seeing some girl who's into drugs. Jade. I'm pretty sure he said her name was Jade."

"Yes. We know about Jade. She lived in the house on Cedar where we found him, but we know for a fact that she didn't do it. She and two other teens were arrested yesterday for the attempted armed robbery of a convenience store. They're behind bars. Is there anyone else that Reese was involved with?"

"I don't know who else who he's been hanging out with. I haven't talked to him much lately…wait a minute…what's the address where you found him?" Malcolm asked as if he suddenly realized something important.

"385 Cedar Street." The officer replied.

"Oh my God!" Malcolm jumped to his feet. "It was Reese! I heard him say Cedar. He called and tried to tell me he was in trouble and I hung up on him. I thought it was someone playing a prank…I hung up and left him to die!"

"Calm down, son. Your brother is still alive." The officer assured him.

"Oh. _come on_! I'm not a child so stop treating me like I don't know what's going on! We both know he's going die. That's why they wouldn't tell us anything on the phone. It's _my_ fault! If I'd bothered to listen instead of hanging up, someone could have got there sooner!" Malcolm yelled emotionally, causing the other people in the waiting room to look up and stare at him.

"None of this is your fault, Malcolm. And no one has said he's going to die so you have no reason to believe that. Right now, I need you to calm down so you can help us catch the person who did this." The officer spoke softly.

"I don't know anything else! Just leave me alone!" he shouted, his eyes brimming with tears. He walked over and sat next to Dewey before letting himself lose it completely.

Dewey placed his arm around Malcolm's shoulder as he cried and tried to calm him. The tables had turned and now he had to be the strong one. "I overheard what happened. This isn't your fault so stop beating yourself up, Malcolm. Even if you didn't hang up, it probably wouldn't have made much difference…Earlier, you said he's going to be okay and I believed you. Now you just have to believe it yourself."

XXXXX

The hours passed slowly as the Wilkerson's waited for an update on Reese. Malcolm and Dewey learned that he was in surgery when their parents returned from talking to the doctor. They were removing the bullet from his side and giving him blood transfusion. The doctors were optimistic that the wound itself was not life threatening, but they seemed concerned about the large amount of blood that he'd lost. They refused to say anything else until after the surgery.

Everyone was still very upset, but they had managed to get control over their emotions for the moment. Malcolm flipped through his twentieth magazine while Dewey slept soundly against his shoulder. Hal and Lois held hands and pretended to concentrate on the TV that was in the waiting room.

"How is he? I got here as fast as I could!" Francis asked anxiously as he ran through the doors of the emergency room. Lois and Hal got up to exchange hugs with their oldest son.

"He's still in surgery. We don't know any more than we told you on the phone." Lois said.

"It's been over five hours since I talked to you. You haven't heard _anything_ yet? Are these damn people even doing anything around here?" Francis shouted furiously.

"They'll let us know something as soon as they can. Getting mad won't make them move any faster, Francis." Hal reasoned.

"I tried to tell you something like this would happen! You shouldn't have kicked him out!" Francis diverted his anger toward his parents without thinking.

"I know! I'm a horrible mother and I'll never forgive myself." Lois started to cry again into Hal's shoulder.

"We don't need you to lay a guilt trip on us right now, Francis." Hal snapped. "We're going through enough hell as it is!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…it just slipped out….Look, you're right. We can't change what happened so let's just forget about it. He's _going_ to get through this. Reese is tough." Francis said, feeling terrible for upsetting them even more.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson?" A young doctor appeared at the waiting room door.

"Yes?" Hal and Lois rushed over to talk to him.

"We're all very sorry to keep you waiting so long for a report, but there were some complications. Reese crashed during surgery…"

XXXXX

A/N: Wow, thanks for all the new reviews! You guys made my day! Now I feel bad about the cliffhanger…ok, not really. ;-) But since you were so nice, I'll try to get the next chapter up quickly. Only a couple more to go, I think. In the meantime, I'll let you ponder Reese's fate a little while longer…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Malcolm shook Dewey's arm to wake him. Together, they walked over and nervously stood behind their parents with Francis as the doctor explained the situation.

"We're all very sorry to keep you waiting so long for a report, but there were some complications. Reese crashed during surgery. We were able to get him stabilized again, but we had to proceed with caution because his heart was very weak. That's why the procedure took longer than we expected. Aside from the setbacks, we were able to remove the bullet successfully. He just came out of the operating room and is being sent to the intensive care unit." The doctor said.

"How is he now?" Lois asked tearfully.

"I'm going to be honest with you—he's still very unstable. The next few hours are going to be critical. If he makes it through the night, his chances of a full recovery will increase significantly."

"Can we see him?" Hal asked.

"He's non-responsive, but you're welcome visit him as soon as they get him set up in a room. I'll take you to the ICU." The doctor motioned for them to follow him.

When they arrived at the intensive care unit they had to wait again until the nurses finished tending to Reese. After what seemed like eternity, they finally received word that they could go in.

"Oh, Reese!" Lois sobbed when she saw him. She pulled a chair next to his bed and took his hand. Hal stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders as she cried.

Malcolm, Dewey, and Francis awkwardly stood by the door and stared at the floor. None of them wanted to see their brother like this. Reese looked bad. He was a deathly shade of white. Several wires and tubes had been connected to him, leading to from his body to various types of medical equipment that recorded his vital signs and helped him breathe. An IV bag hung next to his bed, gradually dripping nourishment into his veins. The slow beeping of his heart monitor was the only sign that he was still alive.

XXXXX

A/N: Sorry so short, but this was a good stopping point. The next one is _much_ longer; I'm already working on it!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Malcolm awoke to the sun shining on his face. He looked at his watch and was surprised to see that it was ten in the morning. They had all stayed by Reese's side right through the night. The staff was kind enough to bring extra chairs so they could be comfortable.

Nurses buzzed in and out of the room check up on Reese from time to time, which helped to break up the long periods of anxious waiting. The last time that Malcolm could remember this happening was around four in the morning. They were all thankful to hear the nurse report that Reese's vitals were starting to improve slightly. After that, he had fallen asleep.

Malcolm stretched tiredly and rose from to his feet. Francis and Dewey were still asleep in their chairs and his parents were nowhere around. Reese appeared to be in better shape than he was when last Malcolm saw him. His heartbeat was registering faster on monitor and some color had returned to his cheeks. Malcolm felt his hand and it was warmer than it had been the previous night. Despite all that, he didn't want let his guard down and assume everything was going to be okay just yet.

"Come on, Reese." Malcolm said quietly as he stood over his brother's bed. "You've got to pull through this. Do you have any idea what it'll be like living with mom if you don't? She'll never let Dewey and me leave the house again!...Listen, I just want you to know that I'm sorry for all the times that I called you a stupid moron, or said that I hate you, or kicked your ass, and all the other terrible things that I've ever said and done to you. You know I didn't really mean any of it, right? You're my brother and I love you even if we don't always get along. Besides, you're the one who kicked my ass most of the time so I guess we're even...Seriously though, I'm _really_ sorry that I hung up on you yesterday. I didn't know it was you! If you don't make it, I'm going to feel guilty about it for the rest of my life. But you'd probably like that, wouldn't you?.. "

"Like what?" Reese murmured his voice barely a whisper.

Malcolm wondered if he was hearing things and looked down to see that Reese's eyes were open. They were only slightly cracked, but open nevertheless.

"Reese, you're awake!" Malcolm exclaimed happily. "Francis! Dewey! Get up! He's awake!" Francis and Dewey woke instantly upon hearing the news. They were on their feet and standing next to the bed in a flash.

"How are you feeling?" Francis asked.

"Does it hurt?" Dewey wondered.

"I have…worst headache." Reese muttered dazedly, opening his eyes more. He stirred in the bed to try to get more comfortable. "Hurts to move."

"Do you need some help?" Malcolm asked.

"Need water." Reese said. Malcolm drew a cup of water from the sink. He put a straw in it and held for Reese as he took a few sips. "What happened?"

"You were shot, Reese." Francis told him.

"You almost died." Dewey added.

"I think I remember." Reese said groggily. "A man…he wanted money."

"A dealer?" Francis guessed.

"Yeah, but they weren't there...they owed money, not me….Chris and Zack…I didn't have any…shot me." Reese tried to recall the details the best he could at the moment. The events blurred together in his mind and he couldn't focus well with the pain that seethed through his body.

"Don't worry about that now, Reese. You can explain it all to the police when you feel better. Just take it easy." Malcolm said. He pushed a button on the bed that elevated Reese's head to make it easier for him to talk to them.

"Thanks. Mom and dad aren't here." Reese observed, steadily becoming more coherent. "They hate me."

"No, they're here. We just don't know where they went. They've been really upset…especially mom. She cried all night." Francis said.

"Mom's really here?"

"Of course, she loves you Reese. She loves all of us more than anything. She just has a funny way of showing it most of the time." Dewey pointed out.

Lois and Hal appeared in the doorway carrying styrofoam containers from the cafeteria. "What happened? Is something wrong?" Lois asked anxiously when she saw them all standing around Reese's bed. As she came closer she realized that Reese's eyes were open. "Reese! Oh thank God!" She shoved the containers into Malcolm's hands and threw her arms around her injured son.

"Owe!" Reese groaned when she accidentally touched his wounded midsection.

"Sorry, but it serves you right for scaring us like that! We've been worried _sick_! The doctors said…never mind, it doesn't matter now." Lois sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "You're going to be okay."

"Welcome back to the world of the living son. How do you feel?" Hal asked.

"Like hell."

Their reunion was interrupted when a nurse entered for a regular assessment of Reese's vitals. She was surprised to see that he was awake so she called in the doctor to check him over. They decided that they wanted to send him for a few tests to make sure that everything was functioning normally and his body was accepting the blood he received during the transfusion. The family was asked to come back in a few hours.

XXXXX

When the Wilkerson's returned later that evening, they were happy to see that Reese was much more alert. He was sitting up in bed, flipping through the channels on the TV. An empty food tray sat on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Feeling better?" Hal asked.

"No. I still feel like crap, but I guess I deserve it." Reese said miserably.

"Why would you say that, Reese?" Hal wondered. "You didn't deserve this."

"I put you through hell!" Reese blurted out unexpectedly, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears. He'd spent the afternoon thinking about the things he'd done and wondering how his family could be so worried about him after they way he'd treated them. "I'm _so_ sorry…I love you all and I never meant to hurt you. I don't even know why you're all here for me the after everything I did."

"We're here because we love you, Reese—no matter what you do, or how mad it makes us. We were furious when we found out about the drugs, but it doesn't mean that we stopped loving you." Lois said.

"Can I come home then?" Reese asked as the tears flowed freely down his face. "I _swear_, I'll never do drugs again. I don't want to live like that anymore. You can ground me for a year or put me in rehab if you think I need it—I'll do whatever you want! Just let me come home."

"I don't know about that Reese…" Lois said with false seriousness.

"Please mom! I learned my lesson and I'm sorry for everything. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"What if we let you come home and nothing changes?" Lois asked.

"Getting mixed up with drugs almost got me killed. I'm in so much pain right now, but at least I'm alive. I _never_ want to be around that stuff again. You've got to believe me!" Reese pleaded.

"How do we know you're not just trying to manipulate us into letting you come home?" Lois pressed, dragging out his torment.

"I'll do _anything_. Just tell me what you want. Give me _one_ chance, _please_! I won't screw it up, I swear!"

"Come on mom, go ahead and tell him." Malcolm said, cracking a smile. "He's just pathetic now. It's starting to get hard to watch."

"Nah, I think you should hold out until he begs to kiss your feet." Francis chuckled.

"Man, I'd give anything to have a video camera right now." Dewey grinned.

"Huh?" Reese looked confused.

"Reese, we're not letting you come home…we're _demanding _that you come home." Lois finally told him. "And don't you think for a second that this is over. As soon as you're feeling better, you're going to be in so much trouble!"

"Okay mom, whatever you say." Reese wiped his tears away with his hand and began to regain his composure. "Thanks." He didn't care what kind of creative punishments they had planned for him. He was just happy that his life was going to be normal again. "Messing with my head like that was wrong though." He said lightly.

"Yeah, but it was definitely worth it. '_Please let me come home, mom! I'll do anything!'_" Dewey mocked him playfully. "You're not so tough now, are you?"

"Hey, I'm still tough enough to kick your— "

"Reese!" Lois and Hal shouted in unison before he could finish.

"I think he's feeling better already." Dewey said with a smile.

XXXXX

A/N: Not quite the end—there's still one more chapter to go to wrap things up!

I considered letting him die, but I couldn't come up with a good ending for that. I think this way's better. I probably couldn't have killed him anyway :-) I'm glad everyone is enjoying it. Thanks a lot for the reviews and suggestions! Hopefully Lois was a little more in character this chapter. I agree, it seems strange for her act so vulnerable, but we've never seen her in a situation where she thinks one of her children might actually die. I think she would completely break down if that ever happened.


	16. Chapter 16

6

Chapter 16

Reese was released from the hospital in a few days to go home. He was happy to find his room just as he remembered it, with all of his possessions returned to their proper places. That small gesture from his family was enough to make him want to cry. It was proof that they really wanted him home again. Rather than shed tears, he simply uttered "thanks for putting my stuff back" instead.

After Reese returned home, he was still very weak and tired easily so his parents didn't push the issue of punishment. The just told him that he wasn't permitted to go anywhere other than school for a month, which was a surprisingly mild sentence considering everything. He was fine with that, he didn't have the energy to do much but lie in his bed or watch TV on the couch for the first week anyway. During this time, everyone was unusually nice to him, including Malcolm and Dewey. They were constantly asking if he needed anything, or offering to let him watch what he wanted on the TV. Reese didn't really know how he should react to this odd behavior. He could have milked it for all it was worth and kept them hopping around for him like servants. That's what the old Reese would have done. Instead, he decided to be nice and only ask them for something once in awhile. He was just glad to be home—there would be plenty of time to be a bully and take advantage of his brothers later.

The doctors said that it would be at least two weeks before Reese was well enough to return to school so he ended up being out for a month anyway, just as Mr. Herkabe wanted. The only difference was that he still had a chance to graduate because the last two weeks wouldn't count against him with notes from his doctors. With Malcolm's help, he was able to catch up on some of the assignments that he was missing in class so he wouldn't be too far behind when he returned. He was determined that he was going to try harder to do better in school because his recovery had left him with a lot of time to think about what he wanted to do with his life. It didn't take long for him to decide that he would like to go to a cooking school after graduation and become a master chef one day. For the first time in his life, he believed that he could actually amount to something in the future.

Malcolm told him that everyone at school was really worried when they heard about what happened. Some people even wanted to come by and visit later in the week. Reese thought it was funny how they could all treat him like dirt one day, then suddenly want to be his best friend just because he almost died. He asked Malcolm to pass the word for them not to bother, but quickly changed his mind when his brother informed him that the girls who were coming were "hotties."

Reese had done such a good job at convincing his parents that he never wanted to do drugs again that they decided not to put him in a rehab program. They believed that what he'd been through was more persuasion to quit than any kind of therapy would ever be. It was true; Reese no longer had a desire to be anywhere near the stuff. The very thought of drugs made his heart beat faster in panic because his mind directly associated them with the pain of a bullet searing through his flesh. He also decided that smoking was a really stupid idea and vowed to never do that again either, even though he still craved a cigarette every once in awhile.

When some of his strength returned, he asked his mom if he could leave the house for a few hours even though he was supposed to be grounded. When he explained the situation, she was actually very understanding and said he could go. There was something that he needed closure for.

XXXXX

Reese waited nervously at a table in the visiting area of the Tri-County jail. He looked up when the guard opened the door and escorted Jade into the room in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, then returned to his post in front of the door. She looked rough with her hair disheveled and no makeup. The look of desperation in her eyes was likely caused by her sudden withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.

"I didn't expect to see you again." She took a seat across the table from him. "I guess you're here to rub it in that you were right."

"No, I don't need to tell you that. Looks like you already found out the hard way." Reese said harshly. "I just came to see how you're holding up in here."

"I'm dying for a cigarette. Do you have any on you?" Jade changed the subject.

"No, I quit. I quit doing drugs too ever since your dealer almost killed me."

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked.

"I went to your house the day after you kicked me out and he was there. He was pissed because you never showed up with the money so he shot me. They said I'm lucky to be alive." Reese explained with a somber expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." She said with sincerity.

"It would have been you if I wasn't there to take the fall instead."

"I said I'm sorry. What else do you want from me?" Jade asked hatefully.

"Promise that when you get out of here you won't go back to that life. Get help, Jade."

"By the time I get out of here, it won't matter anyway. My life will be over."

"You won't be here that long. It's only your first offence. They'll go easy on you. I know from experience." Reese said.

"Whatever. Who the hell are you to tell me what to do with my life anyway? I'll do what the hell I want just like I always have." Jade sneered.

"Yeah, look where _that_ got you." Reese motioned toward her handcuffs.

"Screw you." Jade spat spitefully.

"Look, nothing I say is going to matter to you, but just listen anyway. I've done a lot of reckless and irresponsible stuff in my life, but getting involved with drugs was the stupidest thing I ever did. It almost got me killed, but I was given a second chance to start over. When I got shot and I thought I was dying it scared the hell outta me, but it ended up changing my life. I've made plans for the future now and I'm going to do better in school. For the first time in my life, I want to make something of myself." Reese explained. "This is your second chance, Jade. It blows right now, but when you get out you can start a new life. Don't screw it up. I don't want hear about you OD-ing or getting shot some day when you can't pay up. I did care about you, whether you believe it or not."

"You're right, nothing you say matters. You and I come from two different worlds. It's easy for you to sit here and say all these things because you're lucky enough to have a family that cares about you and supports you. I have nothing. I've basically been on my own since mom decided that I was old enough to stay home by myself." Jade said sadly. "But I'll think about what you said. I guess I've got plenty of time to do that now. Maybe that kind of life really isn't what I want. It's just that... I don't know if I can start over from scratch when I get outta here without something familiar to fall back on. That's the only kind of life I know."

"You could have a life better than the one you know without the drugs." Reese said.

"I guess." She muttered.

"I gotta go now. My brothers are waiting for me outside. Take care." He said, then rose to his feet.

"Can I look you up and give you a call when I'm out?" Jade asked as he walked toward the door. The guard moved aside so he could pass.

"Sure, if you want." Reese paused as if giving it some thought, then turned to face her again. "But you can forget about us ever getting back together. I'm not letting you drag me down with you again."

"Drag you down again? What about all that stuff you just said about how I can change my life!" She stood up and shouted, furious about his cutting remark.

"You can, but I know you won't. You'll never change, Jade. You think I'm full of shit and you'll forget everything I said as soon as I walk out this door. You won't even say that you _want_ to change. You just said you'll think about it. Yeah, _right_! Just don't call me when you eventually end up on the street selling your body so you can buy more drugs. Like you said—it's your life so do what you want with it. Nothing I say matters…But hey, at least I gave it my best shot. Good luck anyway." Reese walked through the door and closed it behind him without looking back. He felt bad for being so cruel, but he was only trying to help her. Reverse psychology always seemed to work for his mother so he figured that it was worth a try. Hopefully, his harsh words would make her determined to turn her life around—even if it was for no other reason than to prove him wrong.

Reese exited the jail building and found Malcolm and Dewey waiting on the steps for him. They had offered to walk there with him after they got out of school so he wouldn't have to go alone. "How'd it go?" Malcolm asked, rising to his feet.

"I don't know." Reese sighed. "I don't think I got through to her. She'll probably start using again as soon as she's out."

"At least you tried. That's all you can do, Reese." Dewey said. Malcolm shook his head in agreement.

"Yeah, I know." Reese muttered.

The three brothers started to walk toward home in silence. On the way, Malcolm paused to look at a flyer that was attached to a street lamp pole. "Hey, what's this?"

"Holiday Crafts Festival Friday thru Sunday. Come join us for Christmas crafts, food and fun. Entertainment includes Santa's Dancing Elves." Reese read the flyer. "It starts today."

A mischievous smile crept across Dewey's face. "Remember the time we used balloons to bomb people with Jamie's dirty diapers at the Art Fair? That was so awesome!"

"Yeah, we should _totally_ do that again!" Malcolm exclaimed.

"I'm grounded, remember?" Reese pointed out. "I promised mom I'd be back before she gets home. I don't want to piss her off the first time she lets me leave the house! She'll kill me! Besides, I feel like I've grown up a lot after everything that happened. I think I'm more mature now."

"Come on, Reese! You _can't_ be serious! What the hell is wrong with you? This is the kind of thing you _live_ for!" Malcolm looked shocked at what he was hearing.

"Yeah, we'll cover for you with mom. We'll say it's our fault you were late. _Please?_ It'll make you feel better!" Dewey looked up at him hopefully.

Reese appeared to think about the situation for a few seconds. "What the hell!" He finally said. "I'll be mature tomorrow. Let's do it!"

"Yeah! Reese is back!" Dewey jumped with excitement.

"I'll get the balloons!" Malcolm said eagerly.

"I'll get the remote!" Reese grinned.

"I guess I'm stuck with getting the diapers." Dewey sulked. "That's okay though. _Reese is back_!"

The End

XXXXX

A/N: There you have it. I thought it should end on a light note since most of it was so serious. I hope you enjoyed it! It's something we'll never see on the show so I thought it would be interesting to put them in that type of situation. Reese is a little out of character in this chapter on purpose. I was trying to show that he's changed somewhat from his experience. He goes back to normal at the very end though. Maybe I'll write another MITM fic soon if I can come up with something good. :-)

Thanks so much to all who reviewed. If you're reading this for the first time after it's complete, I still hope to hear your thoughts! A special thanks to MysticDreamer673, Ruperts-a-Honey, Skat8erchick1435, QK, Cargarbinx, Aniki19 and KoolKerry25 who reviewed regularly:-)


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